Small businesses and the fiscal cliff?; Biz2Credit launches industry-specific finance web pages; NFL replacement official is BofA small biz banker.

1. Should small businesses be worried about the looming fiscal cliff? According to an opinion piece on Terra.com, a news website for Latinos, small-business owners have a right to be alarmed.

The fiscal cliff, which refers to the myriad of fiscal policy changes schedule to hit the economy on January 1, means business owners will be faced with higher taxes, fewer federal contracts and a drop in sales as the economy "careens over the fiscal cliff," the article says. This could also mean that small-business hiring and capital investment will shrink next year, particularly as tax rates rise and access to capital shrinks once again.

"The 59% increase in long-term capital-gains tax rates will reduce the availability of equity capital to high-growth businesses because the willingness of investors to provide capital to young, high-growth companies depends on their expected after-tax returns," the article says.

2. Biz2Credit launches industry-specific pages to help small business owners secure financing.Biz2Credit, a website that matches small and medium-sized businesses with lenders, service providers and business tools, has launched additional web pages with information geared toward borrowers in specific industries.

Biz2Credit has started with two industries -- medical practices and restaurants, but also plans to launch specific sites for gas station owners, retailers and professional services.

The physician page provides information on the various financial needs that doctors and other health professionals encounter and the funding options that are available to them. It also offers advice on how to apply for doctor-specific loans, equipment loans for medical offices, business lines of credit and other sources of physician funding.

"Professionals, including doctors, attorneys, CPAs, and others, face financial needs just like other business owners. For instance, physicians often face cash flow issues frequently because of slow-paying insurance company reimbursements and the ever-increasing cost of doing business," said Rohit Arora, CEO of Biz2Credit. "We have set up pages designed to address the issues facing the healthcare and restaurant industries because these small business owners have been increasingly turning to Biz2Credit for help."

Last month, Biz2Credit launched a page designed to help women entrepreneurs secure capital. The company also plans to launch additional sites to address the financial needs of African-American and Hispanic small business owners.